The first media demonstration of new multibillion-pound NHS
IT systems took place in Whitehall last week - but technology
journalists were barred.
The rare joint press briefing in Whitehall by the health minister
John Hutton and the head of the national programme for IT (NPfIT)
in the NHS Richard Granger came days before government auditors
were set to publish a report that includes criticisms of key
aspects of the NPfIT Choose and Book project.
The media briefing was significant because it was an opportunity
for journalists to put to the health minister the concerns and
questions some NHS organisations have about the NPfIT and Choose
and Book.
For example, a board paper to West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust in
November said, "The board was also concerned about the trust's lack
of control over the costs as they were driven by external
decision-making. With the delays the trust's risk level was
increasing but the organisation's level of control was not
improving."
The ban on technology journalists attending the briefing came 13
days after the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act,
which promises a new era of openness in government.
A notice of the press briefing was a restricted document. It was
issued by the Department of Health to a pre-selected circulation
list of journalists and publications. "Note that this briefing is
restricted to copyees only so please do not forward on to others
beyond this list," it said.
It was an invitation to attend the "first media demonstration of
new NHS IT technology". The notice added that the briefing would
include an "update on the progress of the national programme and a
demonstration of some of its systems, including the Choose and Book
service".
One of the biggest criticisms of the national programme among trust
IT professionals is the selected or restricted nature of
communications. This impression may be reinforced by last week's
restricted press briefing.
A day after the press briefing, James Herbert, director,
communications and stakeholder engagement for the NPfIT, wrote to
the editor of Computer Weekly saying that the press briefing was a
general one "on the scope of the national programme and included a
demonstration of some NPfIT systems that are already live".
He added, "It was not a news conference, no announcements were
made. I should like to make it clear that Computer Weekly was not
specifically excluded."
He said there were no IT or medical trade journals invited, with
the exception of one which is "generally considered to focus on
management rather than health or IT issues".
Herbert added, "There is a distinction to be made between a press
conference at which an announcement is made and a more specific
briefing or update. Generally speaking, the former are open to a
wide range of media. The latter are usually aimed at specific
reporters or sections of the media."
Herbert said he would be "most concerned if any report of this
episode" were to suggest that Computer Weekly's reporter was
physically ejected or barred from the briefing.
Computer Weekly editor Hooman Bassirian said, "It is astonishing
and very disappointing that the Department of Health has barred
Computer Weekly and other IT journals from a public press briefing
where national and periodical journalists discussed with the health
minister and the head of the national programme for IT the latest
developments in the UK's largest civil IT project.
"To exclude IT journals from this rare and very important briefing
without a legitimate reason is damaging to the reputation of the
government and the national programme in their efforts to be open
and transparent in this sensitive and high-profile initiative.
"Computer Weekly, as the UK's leading business IT publication, has
a duty to attend such press briefings. Our reporting on the
national programme for IT has been widely recognised for its
independence and fairness. Indeed, we won the prestigious
Periodical Publishers Association award in 2004 for campaigning
magazine of the year for our coverage. It is regrettable that the
Department of Health has on this occasion made it more difficult to
do our job."